Roundup

WELLINGTON TWP. – A man was LifeFlighted to MetroHealth Medical Center after he was hit by a car while jogging Friday morning on Quarry Road south of state Route 18, according to the Wellington Fire Department and the Ohio Highway Patrol.

David Gwinn, 31, of Wellington Township, was treated and released, according to a MetroHealth spokeswoman. Gwinn had visible injuries to his head and arm, according to the Highway Patrol.

Gregorgy Chechuck, 49, of Medina, was southbound on Quarry Road about 7:30 a.m. in a 2003 Pontiac Grand Am when he attempted to pass Gwinn, who was jogging in the middle of the southbound lanes, according to the patrol. Gwinn crossed into the northbound lanes for an unknown reason and he was struck.

According to the Highway Patrol, Gwinn was jogging on the wrong side of the road and wasn’t wearing reflective clothes.

Dems propose cutting state boards

COLUMBUS – Ohio House Democrats say the state has too many boards and commissions and could save money by eliminating or combining about 100 of them.

Lawmakers who proposed a bill to prune some panels on Thursday say many are no longer necessary or duplicate work done elsewhere in state government. Their targets include the Foreign Language Advisory Council, Ski Tramway Board, Ohio Beekeepers Task Force and the Task Force to Eliminate Health Services Duplication.

But some Republicans say the Democrats’ effort itself is overlapping work already being done by a nine-member committee. It has been hearing testimony from scores of state boards and commissions and plans to recommend cutting some later this year.

Alleged roadside rapist faces 20 years

TOLEDO – A teenager accused of raping a woman along a street in broad daylight faces up to 20 years in prison if he’s convicted on all charges.

A grand jury in Toledo indicted 15-year-old Anferney Fontenet on Thursday on charges of rape and aggravated robbery.

Prosecutors initially charged him as a juvenile, but a judge moved his case into an adult court.

The teen’s attorney has said that Fontenet has been diagnosed with an impulse-control disorder.

Police say the teen told detectives he walked up behind a woman, grabbed her neck and raped her in January but didn’t know why.

Autopsy: Man with cleaver shot 5 times

CLEVELAND – An autopsy shows a man killed by police when he approached them with a raised meat cleaver at his Sikh temple was shot five times.

The autopsy done Friday in Cleveland on the body of 41-year-old Ravinder Nijjar of Bedford shows he died of five gunshots to the torso. Tests for drugs and alcohol will take longer.

Bedford police said they know of no motive for his behavior Thursday. Police said an officer shot Nijjar when he ignored an order to drop the meat cleaver and moved toward officers.

Judge tells citizens to carry guns

CLEVELAND – One judge’s solution for citizens feeling less secure because of budget cuts in an Ohio county: Carry a gun.

Judge Alfred Mackey of Ashtabula County Common Pleas Court advised residents Friday to be vigilant and arm themselves because the number of deputies has been cut about in half because of a tight budget. He also urged neighbors to organize block watch groups.

“They have to be law-abiding, and if they are not familiar with firearms they need to take a safety course so they are not a threat to their family and friends and themselves,” Mackey said Friday.